The instant invention relates to medical apparatus and more particularly to a gastrostomy port for feeding a patient over a prolonged period of time through a previously established stoma in the patient's stomach.
It is widely recognized that gastrostomy stomas can be effectively utilized over prolonged periods of time for feeding and medicating certain types of patients, such as those having swallowing difficulties. In this regard, various catheter assemblies including those comprising de Pezzer catheters and Foley catheters, have been widely used for administering feeding formulas through gastrostomy stomas in the stomachs of patients. However, most of the heretofore available feeding catheter assemblies have severely restricted patient mobility, and therefore gastrostomy patient's wearing these devices have generally not been able to participate in many types of physical activities. Further, since most of the heretofore available gastrostomy catheter assemblies have been relatively obtrusive and cosmetically displeasing; they have often been a source of embarassment and phychological trauma.
In addition to de Pezzer and Foley catheter assemblies, a recently developed device known as the Gastrostomy Button (American Endoscopy Inc..TM.) has been utilized for feeding gastrostomy patients through preestablished stomas. This device, which represents the closest prior art to the subject invention of which the applicant is aware comprises a tip portion which resembles the tip of a de Pezzer cathether, a rubber flap-type check valve in the tip portion, a tube portion which extends rearwardly from the tip portion and a rear flange on the rear end of the tube portion. The Gastrostomy Button device is adapted to be installed in a preestablished stoma in a patient so that the tip portion is positioned against the inner stomach wall and so that the flange portion engages the skin of the patient adjacent the stoma. However, although it has been found that the Gastrostomy Button has advantages over some of the other types of heretofore available devices of this general type due to its relatively small size, it has been found that the check valve in this device has a tendency to become easily clogged due to encrustation and that it can also become damaged or dislodged during obturation so that it is incapable of preventing reflux. Further, due to the overall construction of this device, it must generally be replaced if a malfunction in the check valve occurs.
The instant invention provides an improved gastrostomy feeding port which has significant advantages over virtually all of the heretofore available gastrostomy feeding devices. Specifically, the instant invention provides a relatively small, unobtrusive gastrostomy feeding port which is operative with a substantially increased level of reliability and effectiveness compared to the heretofore available gastrostomy feeding devices. The device of the subject invention comprises a tip portion which is made of a deformable rubberized material in a substantially hollow conical configuration, and has at least one side aperture therein. The device further comprises a tube portion which extends rearwardly from the tip portion, a fitting portion on the rear end of the tube portion, and a valve portion which is received in the fitting portion. The tube portion is dimensioned to pass through a preestablished gastrostomy stoma in a patient and the fitting portion is adapted to be connected to a tubular fitting for connecting the feeding port to a supply of feeding formula. The valve portion is removably received in the fitting portion and it is operative for permitting the flow of a fluid, such as a feeding formula into the stomach of a patient and for preventing the reverse flow of fluid back through the feeding port. The valve portion preferably comprises a duck-bill type valve and it is preferably threadedly received in an interior cavity in the fitting portion. In addition, the gastrostomy feeding port preferably further comprises a concave resilient flange on the fitting portion which faces towards the tip portion, and is engageable with the skin of a patient adjacent a stoma for biasing the tip portion against the inner wall of the patient's stomach.
It has been found that the gastrostomy feeding port of the instant invention has certain specific advantages over the hertofore available gastrostomy feeding devices. Specifically, it has been found that because the valve portion is removably received in the fitting portion, it can be removed during obturation, and thereafter installed in the fitting portion so that it effectively prevents reflux of fluids from the stomach of the patient. Further, since the valve preferably comprises a duckbill type valve, it is not proned to becoming inadvertently dislodged and since it is removably received in the fitting portion, it can be replaced without replacing the entire feeding port. It can also be removed in the event that draining or decompression of the patient's stomach becomes necessary. Still further, because the feeding port includes a concave flange portion on the fitting portion, the feeding port is operative for biasing the tip portion against the inner wall of a patient's stomach so that a more effective and complete seal is achieved between the tip portion and the inner wall of the stomach.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide an improved gastrostomy feeding port.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a gastrostomy feeding port having a removable antireflux valve.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a gastrostomy feeding port having means for biasing the tip portion thereof against the inner wall of a patient's stomach in order to achieve an improved seal between the feeding port and the stomach wall.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.